Repeated Coursework
The Department of Education passed a regulation that affects students who repeat courses. The rules may impact your financial aid eligibility and awards, including the PELL Grant, SEOG Grant, Direct Loans, and Federal Work Study awards. These regulations prohibit the Financial Aid Office from paying for a course that has been passed more than once, and may also affect your financial aid eligibility for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- Courses previously passed may be repeated and counted toward federal financial aid eligibility. This, however, can only occur once. Students who receive a 'D' in a course and decide to repeat the course to improve their GPA may repeat the course one time. If previously passed course is repeated a third time, the course cannot be counted toward full-time eligibility. Grants, loans, and scholarships can be affected if a student is not full-time status.
- Repeating coursework may be included in full-time eligibility if the student receives an unsatisfactory or failing grade. Students may repeat a failed course until it is passed. All repeated coursework affects financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations. Regardless of whether the student received financial aid or not, all repeated coursework must be counted as attempted credits.
Examples
| Term | Course | Result | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | MATH 095 | Pass | Eligible |
| Spring 2024 | MATH 095 | Fail | Eligible |
| Fall 2024 | MATH 095 | Not graded | Not eligible |
The Fall 2024 course does not count toward eligibility because students repeated the previously passed course in Fall 2023. Students can only repeat a previously passed course one time when counting it for eligibility.
| Term | Course | Result | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | PSYC 100 | Pass | Eligible |
| Spring 2024 | PSYC 100 | Withdrawal | Eligible |
| Fall 2024 | PSYC 100 | Not graded | Not eligible |
A student repeats a previously passed course and then withdraws for the course on the second attempt, which was counted for eligibility. If the student attempts the course for the third time, this attempt will not be counted toward eligibility.
| Term | Course | Result | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | BIOL 181 | Fail | Eligible |
| Spring 2024 | BIOL 181 | Pass | Eligible |
| Summer 2024 | BIOL 181 | Pass | Eligible |
| Fall 2024 | BIOL 181 | Not graded | Not eligible |
Fall 2024 course does not count toward eligibility because the student repeated a previously passed course in Summer 2024. Students can only repeat a previously passed course one time with it counting toward eligibility.
| Term | Course | Result | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | COMP 107 | Fail | Eligible |
| Spring 2024 | COMP 107 | Fail | Eligible |
| Summer 2024 | COMP 107 | Fail | Eligible |
| Fall 2024 | BIOL 181 | Not graded | Eligible |
A student can repeat a course an infinite number of times if all previous attempts were failures, if those failures are graded courses or withdrawals. At the time the student finally passes the course, they are only allowed to repeat the course one time within the definition of full-time enrollment status and eligibility. This student could potentially have other Satisfactory Progress issues, such as completing the % of credits, which would potentially make them ineligible to receive aid.